Review: As Always, Jack by Emma Sweeney

I’m freezing to death so I thought I’d sit down and write you a few–just thinking about you warms me up.

(from As Always, Jack, page 51)

Emma Sweeney’s father, Jack, was a Navy pilot whose plane went down north of Bermuda in November 1956. Sweeney’s mother was pregnant with her at the time, so she never knew him. Her mother had remarried, and she was told to call her stepfather “Dad.” When her mother died, she came across the letters depicting her parents’ courtship, and for the first time, she came to know her father.

As Always, Jack features the numerous letters her father wrote to her mother when he was stationed in the Pacific in 1946 as part of an effort to stabilize the region following World War II. They met in December 1945 and knew each other for just 11 days when he was shipped out, but for Jack, that was long enough to know he was in love with the woman who would soon become his wife and then the mother of his five children. It’s not surprising that her mother fell in love with him as well, as the Jack who graces these pages is sweet, charming, and goofy.

I finished this book in just a couple of hours. It’s a beautiful story of two people in love who have their whole lives ahead of them, yet it’s hard not to be saddened by the thought that the lively young man who wrote these heartfelt letters would live for just another 10 years and that his daughter — who looks so much like him, based on the photos in the book — would never meet him. Reading in Sweeney’s words how her mother didn’t talk much about him was so heartbreaking; she must have been dying for any scrap of information about her father, and at the same time, her mother must’ve been lost without him. But what a gift to have found those letters!

As Always, Jack is one of those books that pulls at your heart, even more so knowing that it’s a true story. It made me so glad that when cleaning out my grandmother’s apartment after her death in November, I found a paper bag full of my dad’s letters to my grandparents when he was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. Granted, I had 22 wonderful years with my father before he died, but to think I might get to know him as a young man through these letters…I can’t even put it into words. I’ve ordered the letters, but I haven’t been able to read them yet. Even though he’s been gone for almost 13 years, just seeing his handwriting gets me all choked up, and I’m just not ready to read through them yet. I can’t imagine what Sweeney must have been feeling as she met her father for the first time through these letters, but I’m delighted that she was able to have such an experience, and I appreciate that she is willing to share her father with all of us.

Giveaway: Courtesy of the publisher, Axios Press, I have one copy of As Always, Jack to give to a lucky reader. This giveaway is open to readers 18 years and older with U.S. addresses and will end at 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, July 29, 2012.

**Please note that this giveaway is now closed**

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for having me on the blog tour for As Always, Jack. To follow the tour, click here.

I agree seeing her mother’s responses would have added to the book, but I think it works without it because of the fact that the author met her dad through those letters. I liked getting to meet him exactly the way she did, with only those letters.

I passed on this because I was afraid the one-sided correspondence would frustrate me but it still sounds like a romantic and sweet read. I appreciate your sharing the discover of your father’s letters — amazing — and sad.

When I was in my early teens I found old letters my dad had written to my mom when he was in Vietnam. I found them hidden in the basement and would secretly sneak down there every once in a while to read them. I’ve never told them I did that. Those letters of your father will be there when you’re ready, you are lucky to have them.
This book looks like a good one for these nosey eyes 🙂

Thanks so much for your really generous review of my book and for sharing your own story about your letters. I know just what you mean about not being able to read the letters – my father’s letters sat in a box for at least a year before I could open them. I’m so glad you hung onto those letters and that you’ll get a chance to meet your father at a young age. That’s one thing about these letters I really love – in these letters I see my mother at a young age. I really appreciate that – and how much my father loved her.

Thanks to all who commented here – I’m so glad As Always, Jack moved you.

[…] July 12th: Savvy Verse & WitMonday, July 16th: Lakeside MusingTuesday, July 17th: Diary of an EccentricThursday, July 19th: Book Reviews by MollyFriday, July 20th: Booktalk & MoreMonday, July 23rd: […]

Subscribe to Diary of an Eccentric

Subscribe to Diary of an Eccentric by email

Contact Me

Feel free to e-mail me at diaryofaneccentric at hotmail dot com.

As per my review policy (updated Dec. 6, 2017), I am no longer accepting review copies. It was a hard decision, but it’s for the best given that I want to focus on my writing. I will still be posting my thoughts on what I read and will (hopefully, eventually) make my way through my review backlog. Thank you for your patience and understanding.